Pylos (Greek Πυλος) is the name of a bay and a town on the west coast of the Peloponnese, in the district of Messenia in southern Greece. Pylos was the site of a Bronze Age fortress, and also the site of a battle between Athens and Sparta during the Peloponnesian War.
During the period from the 12th to the 15th century when parts of Greece were under the control of Venice, Pylos became known by the Italian name Navarino. In 1827 the bay of Pylos was the site of the Battle of Navarino during the Greek War of Independence.
Bronze Age Pylos was excavated by Carl Blegen in 1952. It is located at modern Ano Englianos, about 9km north-east of the bay. Blegen called the remains of a large Mycenean palace found there the "Palace of Nestor," after the character Nestor, who ruled over "Sandy Pylos" in the HomericFor other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). Homer ( Greek Ὅμηρος Hómēros was a legendary (or perhaps mythical) early Greek poet traditionally credited with authorship of the major Greek epics Iliad a poems. Linear BLinear B is the script that was used for writing Mycenaean, an early form of the Greek language. It occurrs primarily on tablets dated from the 14th and 13th centuries BC. The script was derived from an earlier script ( Linear A) used for writing the Mino tablets found by Blegen clearly demonstrate that the site itself was called Pylos by its Mycenean inhabitants. This site was abandoned sometime after the 8th century BC and was apparently unknown in the classical period.
The site of classical Pylos was probably on the rocky promontory now known as Koryphasion at the northern edge of the bay of Pylos. This site is described by the Greek historian ThucydidesThucydides (between 460 and 455 BC 395 BC) was an ancient Greek historian. Thucydides was a wealthy Athenian noble and the son of Olorus the King of Thrace. His wealth came from his family's goldmines at Scapte Hyle on the Thracian coast. Thucydides was c in his History of the Peloponnesian WarHistory of the Peloponnesian War is an account of the battles, conflicts, and politics of the Peloponnesian War, fought between the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta) and the Delian League (led by Athens), written by an Athenian general who served in th. In 425 BC the Athenian politician CleonCleon (d. 422 BC), Athenian politician during the Peloponnesian War, was the son of Cleaenetus, from whom he inherited a lucrative tannery( tanning) business. He was the first prominent representative of the commercial class in Athenian politics. He came sent an expedition to Pylos, to seize and occupy the bay. The Athenians captured a number of Spartan troops on the adjacent island of Sphacteria (modern Sfagia, see Battle of SphacteriaThe Battle of Sphacteria was a battle of the Peloponnesian War in 425 BC, between Athens and Sparta. It was an important part of the longer Battle of Pylos. The Athenian land forces in Pylos had successfully driven back the Spartan attempts to land from t). Spartan anxiety over the return of the prisoners, who were taken to Athens as hostages, contributed to their acceptance of the Peace of NiciasThe Peace of Nicias was a peace treaty that was signed between the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta in 421 BC, ending the first half of the Peloponnesian War. In 425 BC the Spartans had lost the battles of Pylos and Sphacteria, a severe defeat resul in 421 BC.
Towns and cities of Greece
